Day of the Dead Special丨La Catrina's "Past and Present Life"

Decorated with colorful flowers, ornate patterns typical of the Day of the Dead, and processions in fine costumes: one of the indispensable protagonists of the grand Day of the Dead celebrations is: La Catrina, the skeleton.

Dressed in fine Victorian garb, with a wide-brimmed hat decorated with flowers and a seemingly mocking expression on her face, La Catrina has become one of Mexico's cultural icons.

However, her life experience remains very mysterious.

Where does La Catrina come from?

LaCatrina Skull combines traditional Spanish elements and pre-Hispanic colonial elements, with profound connotations that transcend the cultural meaning of Day of the Dead.

In the early 20th century, Mexican cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada came up with the initial idea for the character "La Calavera Garbancera" as a mockery of the newly wealthy people at the time adopting a European lifestyle and denying their cultural roots.

In the critique, Posada took the form of a smiling skull with a sarcastic expression, wearing a wide-brimmed hat decorated with flowers and feathers.

"Death is democratic. In the end, everyone becomes a skeleton, whether black, mixed race, rich or poor." Posada uses his skulls to mock the political class and social egos.

Decades later, La Catrina first appeared in a mural by Diego Rivera?, created between 1946 and 1947, with a feathered serpent around its neck.

A Mexican historical figure, this is also the characteristic of the Catrina skeleton we see today.

Diego Rivera renamed Calavera Garbancera La Catrina, and transformed the image designed by Posada to appear in his mural "Sue?o de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central".

It is worth noting that the word "catrín" is used to describe an elegantly dressed man.

Behind the name change of La Catrina, the irony of its founding still remains.

Nowadays, various images of La Catrina skull can be seen everywhere in the parades celebrating the Day of the Dead, full of varied expressions and imagination.

Whether it is decorated with gorgeous dresses and floral headdresses from the Victorian era, or dressed in native Mexican costumes, the costumes are full of folk elements, all expressing the Mexican people's tribute to La Catrina, the skeleton.

The mocking spirit of death. The mocking spirit of death shown by LaCatrina can also be traced in traditional Mexican literature.

In the 19th century, "calaveritas literarias" literature appeared in Mexico, including short essays with a satirical spirit, depicting a mocking attitude towards reality, individuals and the country.

Perhaps, it’s about viewing death as a caricature or a celebration.

On Day of the Dead, calaverita literaria is often given to each other among Mexican family and friends as a friendly joke.